


Red Butterfly

by Carrot_Bunny



Series: MakoHaru Festival 2015 [29]
Category: Free!
Genre: Character Death, M/M, but nothing tragic - it's rather peaceful actually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:29:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3546074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrot_Bunny/pseuds/Carrot_Bunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“And after everything that happened, all those times we lost and found each other and then were driven apart again, here we are together now.” Written for the Official Makoharu Festival 2015 - it's posted on their Tumblr page now!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Butterfly

Its wings were as red as the sky above them, gleaming bright against the last rays of sunlight.

They sat on the bench in peaceful silence, Makoto’s head on Haruka’s shoulder, watching as the sun sank behind the hills in the distance.

“It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”

“Mmm.” Haruka gently stroked Makoto’s silver hair, as he had done so many times before over the years.

“But we’ve done so much today, haven’t we? Going to all those places… that waterfront we always passed going to and coming back from school, the shrine we used to pray at, the platform overlooking the sea…” Makoto smiled a bit sadly. “Do you remember there were fireworks the night we argued there?”

“Shh, it’s all past now. I ran away then, but I came back in the end, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. You always found your way back to me no matter what, over and over again.”

“And you always waited for me.” Haruka tucked a stray hair behind Makoto’s ear. “And after everything that happened, all those times we lost and found each other and then were driven apart again, here we are together now.”

“And will continue to be. Right?” The green eyes of the boy Haruka fell in love with twinkled amidst the wrinkles of the aged face.

“Right.” Haruka leaned down and pressed his lips to Makoto’s, then looked out at the horizon as the butterfly took off and flew into the sunset, while Makoto’s breathing slowed and eventually stopped.

A year later, a red butterfly flew into the shrine where the wake was being held and rested on the open lid of the coffin Haruka lay in, his eyes closed in eternal slumber. Later, it was two butterflies that flew out together, their wings gleaming against the sunlight. 

**Author's Note:**

> 'Red Butterfly' was the title of the ending theme for the last episode of the hit TVB series 'Rosy Business: No Regrets', or to give its original series title, 巾帼英雄之义海豪情. I don't speak a lick of Cantonese, but TVB dramas are still a favorite of mine thanks to the amazing invention known as subtitles. They've got English subs too, and it really makes for a good watch. The final scene where Lau Sing passes away while watching the sunset with Kau-mui was the talk of the Chinese-speaking Internet for some time then, so I guess this is sort of a tribute to a favorite TV drama of mine.


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